Member Reviews
This was my first Taylor Adams book. It started off strong and ended strong however, a good chunk of the middle seemed reparative and unnecessary. I loved the twists and turns and the aspect of not exactly knowing what was going on.
I saw mixed reviews for this book so I wasn't sure how it would be for me but from the first page I was pulled in and I couldn't put this book down. I keep needing to read more and more to see what would happen next. There were so many twists I didn't see coming - and they kept coming and coming. I had to pause a few times to process things! And then immediately hit play on the audiobook and dove back in. I enjoyed the switching between what is happening now with Lena and how Lena imagined Cambry's final hours, based off of police evidence and eye witnesses accounts. Each part sprinkled in details that would later resurface and leave your head spinning! This was a great thriller and I highly recommend you read this one now!
Taylor Adams' novel Hairpin Bridge is an intense and non-stop ride. Lena, our protagonist, is on a mission to find out what happened to her sister Cambry. This story is told through several points of view, holding my attention well and adding depth to the story. While there is a lot of action in the story, some parts were a bit long and repetitive for me. If you like thrillers, definitely check this one out!
**Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for a gifted e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review!
All being said, this book was a wild ride from start to finish, and hard to put down. For me, it read like a nightmare with each situation faced in the book more terrifying than the last, but most terrifying of all? The fact that each of these situations wasn't entirely far-fetched fiction, but situations that could happen in real life.
In some ways, I wish there had been more character development and less action but overall I found it enticing and satisfyingly creepy. If there had been just a bit less of the creepy factors stacked on top of one another, I would have rated it much higher. Would definitely recommend it for those who love to get spooked, especially for those with a fascination for twins.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC. This was my first Taylor Adams book.....and it definitely won't be my last. I enjoyed the fast paced writing and suspense. I honestly thought it was going to be very predictable. I was happily proved incorrect.
I wanted to love this one, there was so much hype surrounding it and I have heard a lot of you loved it! It just did not so it for me at all and I almost DNF it but I wanted to because of bookclub, so forced myself to. I found myself skimming through the middle and end just so I could finish and find out what happens.
This book is definitely a whirlwind of a ride, I flew through the first 30% of the book which was an amazing ride, but it was all downhill from there.
At first it was so intense, gripping, grabbed my interest- I definitely was on the edge of my seat and not wanting to put this book down BUT then the middle and ending came and 🥱🙄
Don’t get me wrong, the author did an amazing job of building up the intensity and suspense with this one, I just wish it lasted throughout the entire book. It is VERY repetitive, which made me lose interest fast. I forced myself to finish it, I skimmed the pages (which I rarely do!) I found this to be really far fetched as well, and not believable.
This is my first book by the author, and although I did not enjoy the book, I did find the writing to be really good. I definitely am looking forward to reading No Exit so I can compare the two, and hoping that I enjoy that one more!
No Exit put Taylor Adams on a pedestal for me. Unfortunately, this did not meet my standards. While the story was a decent thriller, I had higher hopes from this book. I think if I had read these books in reverse order, I would have enjoyed this book so much more.
The book started off strong, but I felt it was a little too dramatic and unbelievable. I was not fond of the main character who was looking into her sisters death. I did not get invested due to my lack of enjoyment in the characters.
I was a big fan of No Exit and couldn’t wait to get my hands on Hairpin Bridge.
I hate to say it, but I’m pretty disappointed in this read overall. The premise of a loved one going after a perceived killer is fine but it didn’t make sense to me how Lena thought that Ray was the killer automatically. He’s a cop that pulled her over the day before. And that automatically makes him suspect #1? What?
And the jumping back and forth between Lena’s story and Cambry’s story and the blog was confusing. It seemed that Lena had a lot of knowledge from Cambry’s storyline that she wouldn’t logically have. Just because it unfolded on one timeline, doesn’t mean that the knowledge transfers to a future timeline. It seems that a lot of liberties were taken with this back and forth and that left a lot of holes in the story for me.
The blog sections were also unnecessary for the story. If you are going to try to plan out searching for a killer, why does that need to be in a public space?
I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me but this entire story seemed drawn out, based on loose plot lines with imaginary connections.
The ending, which I think readers are meant to be happy about, just had me shrugging.
I know a lot of people love this one but it was a huge miss for me.
Thank you to #NetGalley for providing this book. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy and all views expressed are only my honest opinion.
I am a bit disappointed in this book and that really bums me out. I loved 'No Exit', found it rather brilliant if I'm being honest, and was super excited to read another novel by the same talented author. Unfortunately, it didn't hit the mark for me for a number of reasons. Nothing is worse to read than a predictable thriller. If the mystery and allure is erased by shoddy story-telling and I'm able to figure out what's going to happen in the first 10% of the book, it's pretty much a guarantee that I won't like what I've just read by the end of it. That was definitely the case with Hairpin Bridge. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave it at that.
Thank you to the publisher for my copy of this one - all opinions are my own.
I love Taylor Adams unparalleled ability to write high tension, intense, wildly twisting stories that exist in one small space. It always astounds me how far a story can carry without moving locations, and Hairpin Bridge nails this magic from start to finish.
I absolutely devoured this book, as I think any reader will be compelled to do. I loved the dynamic of Lena being a completely broken character searching for answers in her twin's death - and I loved the messiness of the twins relationship as it reveals itself.
The slow burn of tension between Lena and Ray, the build up of realizing that not everything is what it seems, the crest into a crazy blow out of action - all of it is perfectly executed. I also really enjoyed the movement between the current events on the bridge and Lena's blog post, mixed all in with Cambry's flashbacks which made the unravelling of the story all the more addicting.
No spoilers, but I will say this is a fast ride that is the perfect form of escapism reading. Perfect for the end of summer when all you want to do is get lost in a good story.
- Psychological Thriller
- Pulse-pounding Tension & Suspense
- Gory & Violent
- 2 View Points
I was a little leery going into this read since I wasn’t a fan of No Exit but I hate to write off an author after one book so I gave it a shot and I’m glad I did! It was slow going at first but 1/2 through it it started to pick up. All I can say is…expect the unexpected
Thank you NetGalley for providing this book for an honest review. This book takes place in a very short period of time. Lena is looking for answers about what happened to her twin sister, Cambry. Lena goes to confront the man that she believes killed her sister. There are many twists and turns along the journey with Lena to finding out what really happened on the bridge that night with her sister. It was a good read.
Once I started reading I didn’t stop until
I finished. There was so much going on that I had to actually go back and
re-read what I had just read. If you like a good shoot out and edge of your seat action then this is the book for you !!
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
after loving adams’ previous book ‘no exit’, i couldn’t wait to pick this one up, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. this book is a fast-paced, dark, gripping, and breathtakingly intense thriller that you have no choice but to race through in order to find out the truth. adams is an expert at making you think you’ve figured it all out before pulling a complete 180, writing plot twists that make you want to throw the book across the room. he knows exactly how to build up the suspense and then deliver a release at the perfect moment.
i’m discovering that my favourite tropes in thrillers are the ‘isolated setting’ trope and stories which take place over a few hours or in the same night, so this one was perfect because it had both. it also had some small horror elements and some gore, which were a bit gross to read but which, personally, i didn’t think were too intense. it was unrealistic at parts, but i really don’t care about realism in thrillers because otherwise they’d just be boring?? my only criticism is that the ‘reveal’ parts kinda had a similar set-up/trope to ‘no exit’, but i can’t really get into that without spoilers. but overall it was an exhilarating, exciting, and very twisty suspense thriller, and i finished it in under 24 hours so i’d definitely recommend!
Taylor Adams does it again! The suspense kept me flipping through the pages at lightning speed. I am recommending this to everyone I know!
HAIRPIN BRIDGE is my first read from the author. Although I’ve heard great things about No Exit and Eyeshot I haven’t read them yet! So I went into this book only with the excitement that I’m reading from a new author.
The story is about a woman trying to find the truth about her estranged sister’s suicide. Its well layered, action-packed and intuitive with cringe-y moments that stirred up tension. The entire storyline is based off the events happening/happened on the bridge, yes it really was fast paced and built up my tension high on finding if it was really a suicide or a murder! But I’m convoluted on my thoughts about this book! Entertaining but repetitive. [ 3.5/5 ]
Thank you Joffe, William Morrow books via Netgalley for the arc.
I think I might be the only bookstagrammer that hasn't read No Exit. Whoops. But from what others have said about it, I knew that with Hairpin Bridge I would be on an edge of my seat wild ride.
It definitely didn't disappoint there. I kept sneaking pages while my little was playing blissfully by himself. (Mom win!) While it requires a huge suspension of disbelief, it was entertaining and kept me hooked.
Taylor Adams can do no wrong. I was scared to read this because I loved No Exit by him SO much that I didn’t know if his next book would live up to the hype but WOW!!!!! So good
I can’t really call this review an unpopular opinion because I’ve been seeing a number of mixed reviews on this book. I went in with lowered expectations based on people’s reactions but this one really didn’t work for me. I’m so disappointed, because I loved Adams' last book, No Exit . This just got to strange for me.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this, I loved No Exit, and thought I would give this one a chance but it just wasn’t my favorite. It started out strong but by the end I didn’t care as much. It was definitely suspenseful and maybe I will try again at another date when I’m more in the mood for something suspenseful.